South Dakota State beats Montana State; will face NDSU for FCS title

The Jackrabbits (13-1), who have won 13 games in a row, head to Texas next month for a Missouri Valley Football Conference showdown with third-seeded North Dakota State (12-2).

By aSSOCIATED PRESS

December 18, 2022 at 6:36AM
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South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft slid into the end zone for the first touchdown vs. Montana State on Saturday in Brookings, S.D. (Erin Woodiel • Argus Leader via AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Mark Gronowski threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third and top-seeded South Dakota State dominated fourth-seeded Montana State 39-18 on a frozen field Saturday in the FCS semifinals in Brookings, S.D.

The Jackrabbits (13-1), who have won 13 games in a row, head to Texas next month for a Missouri Valley Football Conference showdown with third-seeded North Dakota State (12-2). SDSU beat the defending national champion Bison 23-21 on Oct. 15.

Gronowski led South Dakota State to touchdowns on its first five drives with a balanced offense that had 281 yards rushing and 192 passing.

On the other side, the Jackrabbits' nation-best rushing defense (85.4 yards a game) held the nation's best rushing offense (331.8) to 52 yards.

The game started with the temperature at 10 degrees and the windchill at minus-7. It was the coldest game ever played at South Dakota State.

The teams swapped touchdowns on their opening drives and then the Jackrabbits scored three consecutive touchdowns, shocking the Bobcats with two long scoring runs for a 28-9 lead at the half.

Gronowski, who had a 36-yard hookup with Tucker Kraft to open the scoring, capped a 12-play, 69-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge on the second drive. That gave him a rushing and passing TD in the same game nine times this season.

The next two touchdowns were a 41-yard burst up the middle by Isaiah Davis and a 38-yard scamper by Amar Johnson on a field that played like a skating rink.

Gronowski finished 10-for-13 passing for 189 yards and Davis ran for 158.

The two schools with the longest current playoff appearance streaks — NDSU at 13, SDSU at 11 — now have a rematch in Frisco, Texas, on Sunday, Jan. 8.

South Dakota State lost to Sam Houston in the 2020 spring championship, it's only appearance in the title game. Gronowski suffered an ACL injury in that game and did not play last fall. North Dakota State is 9-0 in the finale, beating Montana State 38-10 to cap last season.

Division II

Ferris State 41, Colorado School of Mines 14: Carson Gulker scored on three short runs and the Bulldogs (14-1) defended their D-II national championship, routing the Orediggers (13-3) in McKinney, Texas.

Bowl games

Louisville 24, Cincinnati 7: Jawhar Jordan ran for 115 yards, breaking free for two long touchdowns, and Scott Satterfield's former team beat his new one as the Cardinals (8-5) beat the Bearcats (9-4) in the Fenway Bowl, the twice-delayed inaugural edition of the first bowl game at Boston's Fenway Park.

No. 17 Oregon State 30, Florida 3: Deshaun Fenwick came off the bench to rush for 107 yards, and the Beavers (10-3) reached 10 victories for the third time in program history by nearly shutting out the Gators (6-7) in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Fresno State 29, Washington State 6: Jordan Mims ran for 205 yards and two scores and the Bulldogs (10-4), who began 1-4, completed the biggest in-season turnaround in FBS history by beating the Cougars (7-6) in the LA Bowl.

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